Jerrydevil

I expect the offense to pick up, and I'm not ready to write off Scott Gomez. He needs to play better, yes. As for Rupp, I'm hoping that those predicting that he won't amount to anything are wrong, but a guy who's 6-foot-5 shouldn't be invisible on the ice. And he has been invisible.

That was no garbage team the Devils lost to on Saturday night. This is not your father's (OK, older brother's) Tampa bay Lightning. That's a REAL GOOD team. And Claude Lemieux....talk about bad ideas. Yeesh. As for the Devils, I am pleased with the first three games. Marty looks good and the power play looks OUTSTANDING so far.

Reprimands are overrated. If you have to crack the whip two games in, you've got bigger problems that can't be solved by yelling and threats.

I will stick with my pre-season prediction that this Ranger squad will be worse than the six that preceded it. There are a lot of problems here, including a lack of confidence in Sather by the players and an utter disregard of Jim Dolan as an owner. How could there not be? This team made almost no changes after missing the playoffs. It's pretty amazing that after six years of futility, the Rangers are directionless. The team continues to bank much of its hopes on Eric Lindros, who is a shell of his former self (and has been for some time) and never really wanted to play in New York in the first place. And that defense. Yuck. How'd you like to count on Malakhov, Mironov, Tom Poti, Kasparaitis and Greg de Vries to be your last line of defense before the goaltender? Not me. This is a huge mess, pure and simple, and I don't think Ranger fans are overreacting by getting pissed after two games. This team has very little chance of succeeding....if you want to call it a "team."

When he scores, they should play that song....... Don't mess with my TOOTOO! Don't mess with my TOOTOO!

Again, I say, it's up to Rupp to determine how many minutes he gets. SC Devs, if he gets second line minutes, it will be because he earned the spot (or everyone else got hurt, LOL!). Burns knows there's a golden opportunity for Rupp -- he's frustrated because Rupp's not giving a good effort consistently. He's worth the scrutiny and criticism, obviously. Note that Ray Giroux isn't getting the same dressing-down. LMAO! Triumph is ready to write him off. And he may be right that he'll never be a key contributor. I remember Hartford Whaler fans couldn't wait to get rid of Bobby Holik in the early 1990s. I also remember Devil fans who said Holik wasn't capable of playing a role beyond the "Crash Line." What does that have to do with Rupp? Maybe nothing. But my point is, give the kid a chance to hang himself before we hang him. We may have another Holik here. But he has to do what Holik did......use that big body to knock people over and win the battles along the boards

Here's the good news.....Burns wouldn't have made such a big fuss about Rupp if he didn't think he was capable of playing a key role. At least Rupp knows what's expected of him. The rest is up to him.

I'm a big Scott Gomez fan, but I think it may be in the team's best interest for him to play on the wing, at least sometimes.

Gizmo, I hear you. Their recklessness pisses me off, too.

I want Crosby......only if we can get Rick Nash and Corey Stillman to be his linemates. That's right: Crosby, Stillman and Nash. :wave:

1) Petr Statsny 2) Chico Resch 3) Mario Lemieiux 4) Mark Johnson 5) Elias and Mogilny

You know as well as I do, Roughdraft, that the Devs don't hand players anything. No need to worry, there. I don't expect Parise to be a star. But he may become one anyway. Remember how cool it was that Gomez played in the All-Star game his first season? Maybe Parise will do the same. It's possible. I'll also add this. If Minnesota automatically assigned Marian Gaborik to the AHL, there never would have been a run like the one they made last year. Sometimes these young'uns make a huge impact. Just like Gomez did his rookie year. Now we're waiting for Gomez to elevate his game! LOL!

If a student is a genius at math, you put him in the calculus class, not in the geometry class with the rest of the bewildered sophomores. In other words, if he's ready for the NHL, then he'll play. The reason why the Devils don't play 19 year olds is because it's rare to draft one that's ready to play effectively with the big boys. But they come along every so often. We don't usually draft high enough to get one.

Oh yeah, Hasan, I completely agree. The Devils don't throw young players to the wolves, nor should they. I remember the 1999 camp. Gomez clearly earned a spot on the team and he did take advantage of the situation

This thread is asinine. How can people argue that Parise won't be in NJ next year, like it's some impossibility? If he's ready to play with the big boys, he'll be here, forget about where he was drafted. An assumption that Lou will want him to play AHL hockey is based on what? How many AHL games did Scott Gomez play?

Pepperkorn, that is one cute kid.

Using the word "sundry" in a comeback is never a good idea. LMAO! I love how people say Snow crossed the line with personal insults. Hey, Marty was the one who said Garth Snow looked like Goldorak! That's not a personal insult? And if it's not construed as personal, who cares? Marty cracked wise on Snow, so Snow hit back below the belt. Is that some sort of breach of etiquette? Oh, so sorry Martin, sir, I beg to differ. I don't look like Goldorak, so please refrain from public comments, if you would. And would you pass the Grey Poupon? Brodeurfanatic, great job on getting the Goldorak photo. If there's any weakness to Snow's game, it's his pulvonium hand.

Good point, PK. But Snow's quote did make me laugh this morning at the breakfast table. Orange juice didn't come out of my nose, but it was still pretty funny.

I don't know what Lou has in mind, but if Brodeur got hurt, I'd rather have Schwab.....I think. Well, I just don't know what Clemmensen can do.

I'm all for building up a little animosity with the Islanders.....although I don't think Marty will get in a goalie fight, like Snow has in the past. Yes, Goldorak Strikes Back is kinda catchy! So let's dance!

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2 Snow was not appreciative of Brodeur's criticism. "He should be more worried about his personal life," said Snow about Brodeur's pending divorce. "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Zing!

We shall see. But Rupp performed pretty well in the few regular season games he played last year, plus he came off the bench cold to score a goal and two assists in the biggest game of the season....well, he deserves a spot on the team. Plus, I heard he played well last night against the Flyers. So he can't skate like Kariya. Neither can Andreychuck. Is Andreychuck ready for the NHL, LMAO!

Hell, YES! The best playoff series in which the Devils have participated is the one they LOST to the Rangers in 1994. We didn't like the result, but if I was to describe it in one word......GRIPPING. It was so gripping that hockey followers will always remember who lost that series. Years from now, hardly anyone will remember the Devils beat Ottawa in the ECF, except Devil fans. Let's face it....if that 1994 series never happened, David Puddy NEVER paints his face and wears the Brodeur jersey on Seinfeld!

You see, Tri? That's why the Ranger rivalry is better. It's strong, even though the Rangers haven't been on the Devils' level since 1997. Forget the rivalry on the ice. The question of this thread is who do WE hate more. Rangers, Rangers, Rangers.

The Rangers may be playoff-less for six straight, but that hasn't stopped fans from chanting "Rangers suck" at every home game. Where's the "Flyers suck" chant?